PARKS AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY BULLWADDY CONSERVATION RESERVE PLAN OF MANAGEMENT 2005 Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory PO Box 344 Katherine NT 0851 BULLWADDY CONSERVATION RESERVE Plan of Management 2005 ISBN N. 0 7245 4866 1 Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management CONTENTS 1 BACKGROUND .............................................................................................1 1.1 Location and Tenure...................................................................................1 1.2 General description.....................................................................................4 1.3 Key Values of the Park ............................................................................12 1.4 Concept of the Park and its Purposes.......................................................14 1.5 Regional Context......................................................................................15 2. MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL VALUES ....................................................18 2.1 Flora .........................................................................................................18 2.1.1 Value ....................................................................................................18 2.1.2 Management Objective .........................................................................18 2.1.3 Background ..........................................................................................18 2.1.4 Management Actions ............................................................................20 2.2. Fauna .......................................................................................................20 2.2.1 Value ....................................................................................................20 2.2.2 Management objectives........................................................................20 2.2.3 Background ..........................................................................................20 2.2.4 Management Actions ............................................................................21 3. MANAGEMENT OF VISITOR VALUES .......................................................22 3.1 Visitor Use................................................................................................22 3.1.1 Value ....................................................................................................22 3.3.2 Management objectives........................................................................22 3.1.3 Background ..........................................................................................22 3.1.4 Management actions.............................................................................22 4. KEY NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS ......................23 4.1 Fire Management Program.......................................................................23 4.1.1 Management Objectives .......................................................................23 4.1.2 Management Directions ........................................................................23 4.2 Weed Management Program....................................................................24 4.2.1 Management Objective .........................................................................24 4.2.2 Management Directions ........................................................................24 4.3 Exotic Animal Species Control Program ...................................................24 4.3.1 Management Objective .........................................................................24 4.3.2 Management Directions ........................................................................24 Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. i 5. PARK ADMINISTRATION AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT .............25 5.1. General Administration .............................................................................25 5.1.1 Management Objectives .......................................................................25 5.1.2 Management Directions ........................................................................25 5.2 Stakeholder Engagement .........................................................................26 5.2.1 Management Objectives .......................................................................26 5.2.2 Management Directions ........................................................................26 6. IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM..................................................................27 7. REFERENCES.............................................................................................28 Appendices Appendix One: Vegetation mapping for Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve ..........31 Appendix Two: List of vertebrate species recorded from Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve.................................................................33 Appendix Three: Flora recorded from Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve................37 Maps Map One: Location of Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve ......................................3 Map Two: Neighbouring Land Tenure ..................................................................6 Map Three: Distribution of lancewood (Acacia shirleyi) and bullwaddy (Macropteranthes kekwickii) vegetation communities in the Northern Territory ................................................................................7 Map Four: Bioregions of the Katherine Region......................................................16 Figures Figure One: Comparison between a eucalypt savanna and bullwaddy/lancewood woodland.................................................2 Figure Two: Suggested trends in vegetation cover over time................................5 Figure Three: Mihirung...........................................................................................8 Figure Four: Macropteranthes kekwickii (from Pedley, 1990)................................9 Figure Five: Bullwaddy thicket (from Adams, 1999)..............................................15 Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. ii MANAGEMENT OF BULLWADDY CONSERVATION RESERVE 1 BACKGROUND 1.1 Location and Tenure Northern Australia has one of the last great tracts of undisturbed tropical savanna left on earth, an area that extends across one-quarter of our continental landmass. This area is characterised by extreme weather conditions with distinct wet and dry seasons. Pastoralism is the dominant land use, Aboriginal, mining, tourism, nature conservation and military use are also prominent (Karfs et al., 2000). The tropical savanna of the Northern Territory’s Top End is divided into a number of distinct regions. Within the Katherine region, wedged between the Victoria River District to the west and the Gulf region to the east lies the Sturt Plateau, a predominantly flat erosional plain dominated by savanna woodlands of mixed eucalypts with a perennial grass understorey and open woodlands on clay soil floodplains. The region is primarily involved in agricultural production and is considered to have reasonable economic potential (Karfs et al., 2000). Eucalypt forests and woodlands, which dominate about 95% of Australia, are by far the most extensive plant communities throughout the Sturt Plateau, followed by Acacia woodlands which are dominated primarily by Acacia shirleyi (lancewood). Compared to eucalypt savanna woodlands, which typically have a sparse canopy, a dense tall grass understorey supporting seed-eating birds and exposure to frequent fire, Acacia woodlands vary markedly. Within the Sturt Plateau these woodlands often occur with the restricted, Northern Territory endemic plant, Macropteranthes kekwickii (bullwaddy) interspersed as either a co-dominant or dominant species. These woodlands typically have a dense shady shrub layer, a few vines and creepers and little in the way of grass understorey (Figure One). The conservation of Acacia woodlands is severely under represented with less than 1% conserved in the Territory and 3% nationally (Bureau of Rural Sciences, 2004). Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve represents the only declared conservation area within the Sturt Plateau region of the lancewood/bullwaddy vegetation type. Although the southern portion of Elsey National Park falls within the Sturt Plateau region, it does not contain representative samples of the Acacia woodlands found in Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve. As such the Reserve is alone in its protection of this unique vegetation type. Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve (NT Portion 5680) is located approximately 100 kms east of Daly Waters along the Carpentaria Highway (Map One). The Reserve is approximately 115 square kilometres and was relinquished from Amungee Mungee Station in May 1999. The Reserve was declared under section 12 of the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act on November 2, 2000. The tenure of Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve is freehold land held by the Northern Territory. Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 1 Eucalypt savanna woodland Sparse canopy Few stems More frequent fire Dense tall grass with more seed eating birds Lancewood/bullwaddy woodland Vines and creepers Many small reptiles such as geckoes on trunks Dense cool shrub layer under canopy Ground feeding insectivorous birds Little grass Figure One: Comparison between a eucalypt savanna and lancewood/ bullwaddy woodland Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 2 BULLWADDY CONSERVATION RESERVE DARWIN LOCATION MAP